


this is better.

by cherrysalad (orphan_account)



Series: new york. [2]
Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Gen, Pre-Femslash, josie is jeALOUS
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-09
Updated: 2017-12-09
Packaged: 2019-02-12 12:30:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,104
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12959241
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/cherrysalad
Summary: cheryl goes on a date with a boring man.in the end she'd much rather watch netflix at home with josie.





	this is better.

The apartment is tiny, there are only three rooms and they all have to sleep on mattresses on the floor and cook on a hot plate. 

It's a drastic adjustment for four girls who spent their entire lives in varying degrees of comfort and luxury, really, the only way they get by is Toni, who already knows about living like this. 

They all end up getting jobs, except for Josie, of course who has to dedicate all of her time to her music. Cheryl gets a job at a coffee shop only a block or two from their apartment. It's rustic, with scuffed wooden floors and worn green cushions on the chairs. 

Cheryl has never had to work before, and it's an unfamiliar feeling having to do something so dirty and menial, but she grows to enjoy making the coffee, making latte art in particular. 

She also likes to watch the customers, if someone especially interesting comes in she'll try and take a mental snapshot of them to draw later. There are a few 'regulars' a smartly dressed older man with a friendly smile and a sophisticated British accent, a college student with messy brown who wears oversized sweaters and always looks vaguely stressed and a middle aged woman with a bright pink streak in her greying blonde, but the one Cheryl pays the most attention to is a handsome man in his twenties, he's a bit scruffy with hair that's a little long and stubble on his chin, he always smiles at Cheryl when she hands him his coffee and it's the brightest, most dazzling smile she's ever seen. 

One day, he talks to her. 

"So, you just moved here?" He asks, she looks up at him, surprised. 

"How did you know?" He graces her with one of those breathtaking smiles. 

"I can always tell," Cheryl can't help but break into a shy smile "I'm Adam." 

"Cheryl," She says.

"So, Cheryl, where are you from?" He asks. 

"It's this little town in Massachusetts," She says "It's called Riverdale, you probably haven't heard of it." 

"Well, you're right, I haven't heard of it. What's it like?" He asks. 

"The worst," She laughs. 

"That bad?" He asks, voice sympathetic. 

"Yeah..." She said "I mean there were some good parts too, but, well..." She trailed off. 

"Hey," Adam says "I get it. I spent the first fifteen years of my life in Danvers, Ohio, imagine the dullest place you can, and Danvers is that but three times more boring," Cheryl chuckles at this. 

"So are you a writer?" Cheryl asks him "I always see you typing away on that laptop," it reminds her, not unwelcomely, of Jughead.

"I am a writer, actually," He smiles "You're very observant," Cheryl smiles bashfully and waves the compliment off. 

"What do you write about?" She asks. 

"I'd love to tell you... but maybe over dinner sometime?" Cheryl was taken by surprise so it took her a minute to respond. 

"Oh! I'd love to!" She replies enthusiastically. He smiles. 

"Great. I know this great Indian place, I'll text you so we can make plans?" He says, offering his phone. She takes it and programs her number in. 

For the rest of the day she feels absolutely giddy.

***

"I have a date tomorrow," Cheryl announces over dinner. They're hall sitting on the floor and eating ramen noodles for the third time that week. She is met by a chorus of excited noises and inquiries. 

"With who?" Veronica asks, grinning. 

"His name is Adam, I met him at the coffee shop," She smiles thinking about their brief conversation "We're going to this Indian place," 

"Cheryl! That's great!" Betty beams at her friend. And Toni nods in agreement, the only one who's stayed silent is Josie who has been watching her stoically through out the whole conversation. 

"Now if only Betty would agree to go on a date or two to help her get over that dirtbag," Toni remarks, Veronica nods in agreement. 

"I don't need to go on a date, guys," Betty sighs "Besides, I am over that dirtbag, way over him" Toni and Veronica exchange a look of disbelief that isn't even trying to be subtle. 

"How do you know this guy isn't some crazy killer?" Josie speaks up suddenly. The girls fall silent.

"Oh Josie," Cheryl sighs "You're paranoid,"

"Yeah," Josie mutters darkly "Yeah, maybe. I just think you should be careful," 

***

"Hey!" Adam greets Cheryl and sits down in the seat across from him.

"Hi," She says "This place is so pretty!" It is, the whole place is decorated in bright colors and smells enticingly of curry. 

"I know!" He remarks "It's one of my favorite restaurants," 

"Well, you have good taste." She smiles at him, flirtatiously. 

"Why thank you," He laughs "So what brings you to New York?" 

"I'm going to art school. Pratt," She informs him. 

"Oh, you're an artist then?" He asks. 

"I am," She replies. 

"That reminds me, you asked to here what I write about?" Cheryl nods "Well, right now I'm working on this novel," That starts him talking about his book, which try as hard as she can she can't find interesting. It's a romance novel with a plot that she must've seen about seventy times, and characters she's seen twenty more, except that the girl has a lip piercing and the boy has blue hair. 

Once he's started talking he won't stop, he just keeps going on and on about his dull book. Cheryl tries to veer the conversation in other directions but her attempts are useless. When they're done with dinner she says,

"Well, I should be going," She tells him, he looks disappointed. 

"Really? But-" 

"I'm sorry. I really do," She smiles politely "I had a good time tonight," She lies. 

"Yeah, me too, maybe we can-" but Cheryl leaves before he can finish.

***

Cheryl comes home to find Josie the only one awake, she sitting on the floor, watching something on her laptop. She pauses when Cheryl comes in. 

"Hey Jose," Cheryl greets her friend cautiously. She's not sure if Josie is mad at her, and if she is, for what.

"Hey," She says quietly. 

"So" Cheryl says "You'll be pleased to know he wasn't a serial killer, just insufferably boring," Josie chuckles. 

"That's too bad," She says much too brightly to really mean it "Want to watch Parks & Recreation with me?" 

"Of course," Cheryl smiles and pries off her heels. She sits beside Josie, resting her head on her friend's shoulder.

"You know, Josie," Cheryl says sleepily halfway into the third episode "This is way better than a date,"


End file.
